An inspection of more than two-dozen compounding pharmacies by Food and Drug Administration officials has found widespread problems with sanitation and sterilization practices, FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg wrote in a blog post on the agency's website Thursday.

Three Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday released a report that found inconsistencies in the labeling and classification of energy drinks, extensive marketing to adolescents and young adults through social media and events, and high caffeine levels that exceed what is considered safe in soda by the Food and Drug Administration.

The increased availability of generics combined with CVS Caremark's generic dispensing rate of 77.4% helped reduce spending on traditional medications by 3.6% for the company's commercial clients, according to its newly released annual insights report.

QS/1 has released Medicare Part B compliance documentation, which it said would be the first of its type on the market to help pharmacies that want to serve Part B customers while remaining compliant, the company said.

The government of Canada's Alberta province will pay pharmacists $1 for each prescription filled as part of a one-year transition program for which it will spend $24 million, according to published reports.

Research has indicated that about half of antibiotic prescriptions are unnecessary, raising concerns about the growth of bacteria resistant to them, but a new study by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also finds that prescriptions are highest in several states in the South and Midwest.

With the growing concern of the abuse of prescription stimulants like Adderall on college campuses, the Cardinal Health Foundation and the Ohio State University College of Pharmacy introduced Generation Rx University, the fourth in a series of interactive toolkits designed to help reduce the abuse of prescription drugs.

The new world of targeted, specialized medicines — many of them bioengineered and many of them aimed at smaller and smaller segments of the population — isn’t just on its way. It’s here. And it’s going to radically change the practice of pharmacy.

Here’s an eye-opener: Specialty drugs will likely account for 50% of all drug costs by 2018, up from 28.7% of total prescription drug costs in 2012.

The Council for Responsible Nutrition issued recommended guidelines for caffeine-containing dietary supplement products, expanding its self-regulatory initiatives that encourage best practices within the supplement industry.

The Food and Drug Administration has 30 days to approve over-the-counter availability of the emergency contraceptive Plan B One-Step to women of all ages, according to a decision issued by Judge Edward Korman of the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York.

The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy on Wednesday announced that it is the recipient of a five-year, $2.1 million grant to train graduate and postdoctoral students in natural product drugs and dietary supplements.

Same-store sales at Rite Aid decreased 2% in March, including a 3.8% increase in same-store sales on the front end and a 4.5% decrease in pharmacy sales due in part to new introductions of generic drugs, the retail pharmacy chain said.

The recent call letter released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services addresses issues that can have an adverse effect on the program's cost and quality of care, a trade group representing independent retail pharmacies said Wednesday.

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SPECIAL REPORTS

Are we in the midst of a beauty revolution? Perhaps. It is no secret that the ever-changing beauty category is all about trends, but one could argue that we are embarking on an especially interesting time in beauty as technology is changing the way consumers shop and new innovations strive to break through the noise.

In this beauty report, Drug Store News takes a deeper dive into some of the leading trends that are reshaping beauty.more ...

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In this issue, DSN examines PricewaterhouseCoopers' "Top Health Industry Issues for 2015;" takes you on a tour of Murad, shares beauty trends and insights and delves into location-based technology and how it is revolutionizing health, retail.Click here to view the issue.